Tie stretcher



.1 1967 'r. F. SEBESTYEN 3,303,975

TIE STRETCHER Tim .1.. I in: .5.

Filed June 9, 1965 INvEN-i-QR /Z6 T113022 F SEZBESTYELN FITTORNEY United States Patent 3,303,975 TIE STRETCHER Tibor F. Sebestyen, 25 Pine St., New York, N.Y. 1000s Filed June 9, 1965, Ser. No. 462,527 2 Claims. 01. 223-65) The present invention relates to a tie stretcher particularly useful for stretching four-in-hand ties.

Four-in-hand ties in common use become wrinkled after use even if the material is of superior quality and character as to minimize wrinkling. Pressing the tie is a way to eliminate wrinkles but is undesirable in the need of an iron, means to heat the iron and place to press the tie. Heretofore, various devices have been proposed for stretching and smoothing ties in lieu of pressing but none has proven entirely satisfactory.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a device for stretching neckties to smooth wrinkles giving the necktie the appearance of having been freshly pressed, and useful for many sizes of ties.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tie stretcher made of relatively inexpensive material.

The invention is embodied, in general, in a pair of elongated form members restrained for substantial parallel separation by a plurality of resilient elements spaced along the members and alternately spaced guide elements. In use the members are inserted between the folds of a necktie and oriented to nest along the opposing fold lines. When fully inserted and released the form members are separated by expansion of the resilient members, stretching the necktie material about the form members.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fully understood from the following detailed descrip tion of a preferred form of my invention, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the tie stretched according to my invention showing it in its normal unused expanded position;

FIG. 2 is a view of the tie stretcher in use within a necktie;

FIG. 3 is a section view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section view taken along line 44 of FIG. 2, and

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary views of a tie stretcher modified by the respectively illustrated resilient elements.

Referring to the drawing, the tie stretcher in a preferred form has a pair of elongated members 10 and 12 having smooth surfaces for non-catching or snagging action on tie fabric. The respective ends 10a and 12a are tapered to allow smooth entrance of the stretcher into the tie. One of the pair members is provided with a handle portion 12b for carrying or hanging the stretcher and for manipulating it during use. The members 10 and 12 are provided with several guide elements 16 for allowing relative lateral movement of the members and several resilient members spaced along the members and arranged to exert compression force to separate the members.

The guide elements 16 are fixed to one member, 10, by glue or forced-fit, as shown in FIG. 4, and telescoped within the other member 12 in a bore provided therein. The guide element 16 may be provided with a head 16a for engagement with a shoulder 18 of the bore for limiting the distance of separation if desired.

The resilient elements, 14, are preferably coil springs seated within respective cavities in the inner walls of the opposing faces of members 10 and 12 as shown in FIG. 3. The springs may be fixed at either or both ends to act as limiters of the member separation if the guide members 16 are not arranged to function as separation limiters. Other means of limiting separation will be apparent as, for example, a flexible strap of selected length connect ing the two members at spaced locations.

At rest the springs 14 are relaxed and extended thereby separating the members 10 and 12 as shown in FIG. 1. In use, the stretcher is guided into the wide end of a necktie, 11, between the folds thereof and inserted within the tie to the desired position, orienting the stretcher so that the plane of the tie and the plane of the stretcher correspond. The outer edge of the members are preferably shaped to a taper approaching a knife edge so that the folds of the tie are maintained. The members are separated by the compression force of the springs, 14, to the extent of the tie border and will stretch the tie and thereby smooth any wrinkles in the fabric.

It is noted that the extent of separation of the members 10 and 12 in response to the expansion of compression spring '14 depends on the width of the tie portion. Thus the tie stretcher is universally adapted automatically to any size tie and may be designed to any degree desired for expansion or stretching force by the force of the spring elements selected.

Various modifications can be made to the preferred form of resilient element 14. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5, a pair of leaf springs and 141 connected at their ends are attached to the inner walls of members 10 and .12 as by screws 142.

FIG. 6 illustrates another form of resilient member in the form of a torsion leaf spring 143 connected at its opposite ends to the respective other of the members 10 and 12 by screws 142.

FIG. 7 illustrates a torsion spring 144 with its respective ends fixed and inserted into the inner walls of the members 10 and 12. Recesses .145 and 146 receive the head of spring 144 when the members are sufliciently closed.

The members may be formed from wood, metal or synthetic plastics as desired, although synthetic plastics of the thermosetting type are preferred in view of the ease of fabrication by molding and relative inexpensiveness.

I claim:

1. A device for stretching a necktie comprising a pair of elongated members, a plurality of guide elements spaced along the members and connecting the members for preventing longitudinal displacement of the members but allowing lateral displacement of the members, a plurality of resilient elements spaced along the members arranged to separate the members by expansive force of the resilient elements, and means for limiting the lateral displacement of said elongated members by said resilient elements, said limiting means including said guide elements, comprising a pin rigidly connected to one of said members, a cavity in the other of said members enlarged toward the outer edge to form a shoulder, said pin extending into said cavity to allow, by longitudinal movement of the pin within the cavity, the members to be laterally separated and in which said limiting means comprises a head on said pin positioned to engage said shoulder.

- 3 2. A device according to claim '1, wherein said resilient elements comprise a coil spring located in opposing cavities in the respective and opposing faces of said members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1914 Finley 223-6 3 4 2,485,257 10/ 1949 Caldwell 223-72 2,652,956 9/ 1953 Rieck 223-455 3,032,241 5/ 1962 Brown 22365 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,263 12/ 1908 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR STRETCHING A NECKTIE COMPRISING A PAIR OF ELONGATED MEMBERS, A PLURALITY OF GUIDE ELEMENTS SPACED ALONG THE MEMBERS AND CONNECTING THE MEMBERS FOR PREVENTING LONGITUDINAL DISPLACEMENT OF THE MEMBERS BUT ALLOWING LATERAL DISPLACEMENT OF THE MEMBERS, A PLURALITY OF RESILIENT ELEMENTS SPACED ALONG THE MEMBERS ARRANGED TO SEPARATE THE MEMBERS BY EXPANSIVE FORCE OF THE RESILIENT ELEMENTS, AND MEANS FOR LIMITING THE LATERAL DISPLACEMENT OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBERS BY SAID RESILIENT ELEMENTS, SAID LIMITING MEANS INCLUDING SAID GUIDE ELEMENTS, COMPRISING A PIN RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID MEMBERS, A CAVITY IN THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS ENLARGED TOWARD THE OUTER EDGE TO FORM A SHOULDER, SAID PIN EX- 